News archive (2009 - 04)

On 29 April the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola arrives for a two-day official visit to Lithuania. The top military official of the Alliance will be visiting Lithuania at the invitation of the Chief of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania, Lieutenant General Valdas Tutkus.

Courses for justice sector personnel of Ghowr province of Afghanistan held in provincial capital Chaghcharan came to an end. To mention the occasion, a conference was held on April 20 at the Provincial Governor's Office to address further perspectives of reforms in judicial sector of Ghowr. Training of judicial staff of Ghowr province is a part of ”Enhancement of capacity of justice sector in Ghowr province” financed jointly by Lithuania and the European Commission.

On April 23-24 traditional meeting of Lithuanian, Latvian, and Estonian Defence Ministers will be held in Tallinn (Estonia). Lithuania will be represented by a delegation led by the Minister of National Defence Rasa Jukneviciene.

On April 21 solemn deployment ceremony of the ninth rotation of Chaghcharan Provincial Reconstruction Team took place in Vytautas the Great War Museum Garden in Kaunas.
Before the ceremony holy mass was celebrated at St. Archangel Michael Church for the leaving troops, afterwards PRT-9 lined up in a joint formation with KFOR-19 soldiers having come back from mission in Kosovo.

Delegation of Foreign Defence Attachés accredited in Lithuania visited King Mindaugas Mechanised Infantry Battalion deployed in Pajuostis (Panevezio Distr.), April 21.
During the visit the guests familiarized with King Mindaugas Battalion, its structure, tasks of the unit, armaments and equipment. Members of the Battalion demonstrated to the guests their capabilities and organised a demonstration exercise.

April 21, soldiers after mission in Kosovo will be formally met and new rotation for Afghanistan mission will be deployed from Vytautas the Great War Museum Garden. Lithuanian KFOR-19 platoon having returned from the NATO-led military operation in Kosovo in the beginning of April and new rotation of Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-9) before deployment to Afghanistan will line in a single formation in Kaunas War Museum Garden.

Divisions of Lithuanian Armed Forces attached to the trilateral Baltic Battalion will train in an evaluation-of-readiness exercise ”Iron Eagle 09", Rukla Gaiziunai Military Area, April 20-24. Central aim of the exercise is to assess the level of readiness of the Lithuanian Armed Forces divisions attached to BALTBAT and to get ready for the exercise ”Baltic Eagle 09” which will be organised in Adazhi Military Area in Latvia for the Baltic Battalion.

Lithuanian Armed Forces Team performed excellently in the 42nd World Military Marathon Championship that took place on April 18 in Belgrade, Serbia. Pte. Rasa Drazdauskaite, volunteer of Lithuanian NDVF Vytis Military District 5th Territorial Unit returned from the Championship as champion of the world. She ran the distance of 42 km and 192 m in 2hours 34 minutes 59 seconds.

April 17, Lithuanian-led Chaghcharan Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT-8) was visited by ISAF Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Jim Dutton. High-ranking ISAF officer took interest in PRT activity and toured the camp. He familiarised with development cooperation projects developed in Chaghcharan by Lithuania: Lieutenant General visited the city park, Civilian Personnel Training Centre, constructions site of Ghowr Provincial General Prosecutor's Office.

Exposition ”90th anniversary of aviation in Lithuania” of Dutch photographer and aviation journalist Tieme Festner's works will be opened in Lithuanian Aviation Museum in Kaunas (Veiveriu Str. 132) on April 17, 15.00.